The role of glycogen synthase kinase 3 in the early stages of Alzheimers' disease

There are two different types of Alzheimers' disease, familiar Alzheimers' disease (FAD) and Sporadic Alzheimers' disease (SAD), and the origin of the disease could be different in both familial and sporadic cases. In terms of FAD, mutations in three different genes are likely to promote the onset of the disease whereas for SAD, different risk factors might be involved. Nevertheless, downstream of the initial causes of the disease some common factors may be involved. In this review, rather than the differences, we have focused on some of the common features shared by Alzheimers' patients, irrespective of the origin of their disorder. Among these common features, at the molecular level, the activation of the protein kinase GSK3 may be relevant. (C) 2008 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.